We believe Australia should become a republic with an Australian as our head of state. We believe that everyone who holds public office in Australia should be an Australian citizen exclusively. We feel that everyone who holds a position of authority in Australia should be chosen by their peers. We believe that everyone who leads our nation and it's citizens should state their allegiance to our people and to Australia exclusively.

It is not acceptable that any public position in our country be hereditary. The whole premise of modern egalitarian Australia is that here we don't care who your parents are or were.

It is not acceptable that any public position in our country be subject to a religious test. Our head of state should not be the head of the Church of England or any other religious body.

It is not acceptable that the highest place in our constitution be reserved to the descendants of imperial privilege. Our society values egalitarianism and equality; the idea of a bow and a curtsy seems comically out of place in modern Australia. The system of a Constitutional Monarchy is dysfunctional and ill-suited for a modern nation with the challenges of the 21st Century. Australian public life has problems no King or Queen of England can solve for us - problems we can only solve ourselves.We need to restore a balance between power and prestige, between dignity and efficiency, between the partisan government and the democratic state. We need an Australian person above politics who can make a statement to the nation on New Year's Day or a National Day.And we need not just symbols of the best nation of our imagination - but democratic, inclusive, patriotic institutions that give all Australians a voice and to lend every Australian an ear. The concept of a foreign, hereditary, appointed Head of State is incongruent with the aspirations & dignity of working Australians & progressive politics - undemocratic & out of date in a modern world.

Our flag should also reflect modern Australia – including the acknowledgement of indigenous Australians & also reflect the multicultural nature of modern Australia. Our current flag, with the flag of another country on it, reflects a colonial or dominion Australia that no longer exists. The Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday would be kept & renamed to reflect the new Australian Republic.

What would an Australian Republic look like?We would support a system that reflected the democratic processes that are part of our culture. However, this would not mean electing a politician for the role. There are many citizens who devote their lives to helping their community who would hold the needed traits of humility, common sense and love of country that would qualify for the role of head of the Republic. Australia has many people of enormous ability, humility and integrity. The manner of selection could be identified by a citizens convention, which we would advocate for. Such things are easily determined when people get together and begin a discussion. Such a task is not outside of our collective abilities. The powers of an Australian Head of State should be codified clearly as to not cause any confusion or be used by any mischievous politicians. The role could simply emulated that of the Governor General, but with the powers clearly articulated not hidden in the depths of so-called unwritten conventions as is the case with the Governor General now.

A move to an Australian Republic does not mean we would be more "Americanised"; our Head of State would have no executive powers as does the US President has. We do not have an executive form of government here. Our system of electing our MPs would remain the same. It would simply mean that the head of our Constitution is an Australian citizen and not a citizen of another country.

An Australian Head of State would mean we are finally standing on our feet, and most of all it would mean that any Australian child could aspire to be our Head of State. At the present time, all Australians are disqualified for the job.

WORKING POOR - NO MORE!We seek real political change for all workers and their families through equality, progressive reform and social & economic justice.